This invention relates to a baking pan. This invention more particularly relates to a baking pan utilizable in a steaming and baking process in a heated enclosure.
Several steps are involved in making a good loaf of bread. The first step comprises the proper development of dough by kneading of a mixture of flour, water, salt, yeast (chemical leavening agents), and/or other ingredients. The dough is stored at a constant temperature and humidity for a period of time, known as proofing, so that the dough expands due to the generation of carbon dioxide through the reactions of yeast or the chemical leavening agents. The proofed dough is then baked in an oven to develop the necessary texture, crust, color, and flavor.
For mass production, proofing is conducted in a proof chamber or box at a temperature between 90 and 100xc2x0 F. to accelerate the growth of yeast or the chemical reactions that lead to the production of carbon dioxide. To avoid drying of the outer surface of the dough the relative humidity of the proof chamber or box is generally maintained between 80 and 90%. To proof on a small scale, one or two loaves, of dough of consistent quality for home baking may not be an easy task. Home baking is quite often practiced in winter months when the ambient temperature and relative humidity are lower than the optima for proofing. Covering the dough with a wet cloth or towel or a plastic film is recommended to prevent the surface from becoming dried out. However, the cloth or film may stick to the dough surface so that its removal is very difficult. The proofing time can be quite long when the ambient temperature is low.
As is well known, injecting steam at the beginning of a baking process helps make a better loaf of bread and is the basis for various types of professional and industrial ovens. The steam keeps the surface of the dough moist and extensible to result in a loaf of greater volume without ragged breaks and good interior crumb texture. The steam also leads to a crisper and glossier crust because of the greater swelling of surface starch granules. Through the modifications of the Maillard pathways, the surface color is also affected by the presence of steam.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,532 and 5,800,853 disclose a baking method and associated baking pan paraphernalia that make steam available in household ovens for baking a variety of baked goods. This disclosure is directed to improvements in the baking method and related baking apparatus disclosed in those prior patents.
An object of the present invention is to provide a baking pan apparatus utilizable in a baking and steaming process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a baking pan utilizable in a food preparation process including an initial proofing portion and a subsequent cooking portion. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide at least one baking pan in accordance with the present invention is utilizable in such a food preparation process wherein the cooking portion includes an initial steaming/baking cycle and a subsequent baking only cycle.
These and other objects of the present invention, each attainable by one or more embodiments of the invention, will be apparent from the drawings and descriptions herein.
A baking pan according to the present invention is utilizable in a cooking process involving a first steaming/baking cycle and a subsequent baking only cycle, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,532 and 5,800,853. The pan is also utilizable in a related or extended cooking method for a baked food product wherein the cooking process includes a dough proofing stage and a baking process. This baking process preferably includes a first cycle of baking and steaming and a second cycle of baking only. Pursuant to the present invention, this cooking method may be carried out with the aid of a cooking apparatus or assembly including a baking pan with a water-receiving internal chamber and a proofing and cooking chamber communicating with the internal chamber via one or more perforations in an upper surface of the baking pan. The proofing and cooking chamber is formed by a cover or lid placed over the upper surface of the baking pan.
A method for producing a cooking dough product utilizes, in accordance with the present invention, a baking-type pan having at least one recess or reservoir, at least one upper surface, and at least one perforation. The proofing method comprises (I) depositing an amount of water in the recess or reservoir, (II) placing, on the upper surface of the pan, at least one piece of a dough containing a leavening agent, and (III) providing a chamber about at least a portion of the dough (preferably all of the dough), the chamber being defined in part by a portion of the upper pan surface including the perforation, and (IV) maintaining the portion of dough in the chamber for a predetermined proofing interval, to allow water vapor to pass from the recess or reservoir via the perforation to increase the humidity in the chamber and to facilitate a rising of the dough.
The method preferably utilizing a baking pan according to the present invention additionally comprises disposing the pan, the dough, and the water in an oven, and turning on the oven for a limited period to heat the oven to a proofing temperature. In this case, an optimal proofing temperature is generated by oven heat. In another approach, the proofing temperature is attained by depositing hot water in the recess or reservoir of the baking pan. A cover or lid is placed on the baking pan so as to define the chamber. This assembly may be placed virtually anywhere, for example, in the oven, on a kitchen counter or on a table top, during the proofing process.
The cooking method preferably further comprises turning on the oven to heat the oven to at least one baking temperature after termination of the predetermined proofing interval and the rising of the dough. The baking pan and the dough may be already in place in the oven during the proofing process or, alternatively, may be placed in the oven only for a baking process. During a first portion of the baking process commencing upon heating of the oven to the baking temperature, the water in the recess or reservoir is converted to steam at least a part of which is fed to a lower surface of the risen dough. After all of the water is converted to steam, the risen dough is baked during a second portion of the baking process.
The cooking method may further comprise, prior to a commencement of the predetermined proofing interval, positioning, on the pan, at least one lid or cover to define the proofing chamber containing at least a portion of the dough. The lid is disposed in the oven together with the pan, the dough, and the water. The water vapor is directed through the perforation to the chamber to increase a level of humidity in the chamber during the proofing interval. This lid or cover may be a preformed rigid element or, alternatively, an extemporaneously formed temporary structure made, for instance, of aluminum foil.
Where the proofing of the dough is followed directly by a combined steaming and baking process, the lid or cover may be retained in position on the pan during the steaming to facilitate a moistening or wetting of upper surfaces of the dough by steam escaping into the proofing chamber, now functioning as a cooking chamber. Thus, at least part of the steam is directed to the chamber to moisten an upper surface of the dough.
The lid may remain in place on the baking pan during the entire proofing, steaming and baking process. Alternatively, the lid may be removed from the pan prior to termination of the second (baking only) portion of the baking process. The baking pan may be removed even prior to the commencement of the second (baking only) portion of the baking process, i.e., during the steaming and baking cycle of the entire process.
A lid or cover utilizable in a proofing and/or baking method pursuant to the present invention may be perforated or non-perforated. When used in a baking process, the lid or cover serves not only to retain escaped steam but also to lower the temperature in a neighborhood about a dough based food item disposed in the cooking chamber defined by the lid or cover and the baking pan. The increased moisture and lowered temperature inside the cooking chamber delay the crust development of upper surfaces of the food item.
A baking pan kit including a lid or cover in accordance with the present invention is useful not only in a baking process per se but also facilitates proofing of the dough prior to baking. Thus, an effective proofing device is provided by the present invention when the pan, water and cover are placed in an oven, and then briefly heated. The baking pan, water and cover absorb heat from the oven during the brief heating of the oven and subsequently release heat to the oven when the oven cools down, making the oven temperature substantially uniform over a period extended to effectively implement proofing. The relatively high moisture level produced in a proofing chamber defined by the baking pan and the lid or cover reduces surface drying of the dough. Furthermore, the dough and the baking pan can be brought directly to the baking temperature after proofing.
The perforation in the baking pan may one of at least two perforations in the upper surface of the baking pan. In that case, at least some of the perforations are open or uncovered at an onset of the first portion of the baking process. The method then further comprises expanding the dough during the first portion of the baking process so that the dough covers at least some of the open perforations by an end of the first portion of the baking process. This feature of the method is described in greater detail hereinafter.
The baking pan may include an upper pan part and a lower pan part, the upper surface (receiving the dough) being on the upper pan part, the water-receiving recess being located in the lower pan part. The method then further comprises assembling the upper pan part to the lower pan part prior to the disposing of the pan in the oven.
Where the recess or reservoir is one of a plurality of recesses or reservoirs each provided with a respective amount of water, the method further comprises (A) after termination of the proofing interval and the rising of the dough, turning on the oven to heat the oven to at least one baking temperature to commence a baking process having at least a first phase, a second phase and a third phase, (B) converting the water in both of the recesses or reservoirs to steam during the first phase of the baking process, (C) feeding a part of the steam to a lower surface of the dough and another part of the steam to an upper surface of the dough also during the first phase, (D) converting water in only one of the recesses or reservoirs to steam during the second phase of the baking process, the water in the other of the recesses or reservoirs being depleted by an end of the first phase, (E) feeding steam from the one of the recesses or reservoirs to only one of the lower surface and the upper surface of the dough during the second phase, and (F) subjecting the dough to only conventional baking during the third phase of the baking process, the water in the one recess or reservoir being depleted by an end of the second phase.
Preferably, the proofing temperature is between approximately 80xc2x0 F. and approximately 110xc2x0 F. More preferably, the proofing temperature is between approximately 90xc2x0 F. and approximately 100xc2x0 F. Concomitantly, the proofing interval is preferably between thirty minutes and an hour.
A baking pan in accordance with the present invention may additionally or alternatively be utilized in a cooking method comprising placing a food article in a heated enclosure, thereafter delivering an amount of steam to a lower surface of the food article during a first time interval and also delivering a quantity of moisture to an upper surface of the food article during a second time interval, and, upon completion of the delivery of steam to the lower surface of the food article and moisture to the upper surface of the food article, subjecting the food article to only conventional baking in the heated enclosure during a third time interval beginning after termination of the first time interval and the second time interval.
Where the placing of the food article in the heated enclosure includes positioning the food article on an upper panel of a baking pan also having a lower panel, the placing of the food article in the heated enclosure further includes disposing the pan in the heated enclosure, while the delivering of steam to the lower surface of the food article includes feeding the steam through first perforations in the upper panel of the baking pan to the lower surface of the food article. In addition, delivering moisture to the upper surface of the food article includes feeding the moisture through second perforations in the upper panel of the baking pan to the upper surface of the food article.
Where the lower panel of the baking pan has a first recess communicating with the first perforations and a second recess communicating with the second perforations, the cooking method further comprises depositing a first amount of water in the first recess and a second amount of water in the second recess. Then, the delivering of steam to the lower surface of the food article includes converting water in the first recess to steam for delivery through the first perforations, while delivering moisture to the upper surface of the food article includes converting water in the second recess to steam for delivery through the second perforations.
The placing of the food article in the heated enclosure may also include placing a lid on the baking pan and over at least a portion of the food article to thereby define a chamber containing the food article. In that case, the moisture is delivered to the chamber and thereby to the upper surface of the food article.
A two-piece baking pan in accordance with the present invention can alternatively be used for grilling. In that case, the lower pan functions to catch and hold drips. In any event, the air space or spaces between the lower pan and the upper pan can additionally function as an insulating layer, whether or not the lower pan holds water or grease drippings.
A cooking method comprises, pursuant to a further embodiment of the present invention, (I) placing dough on a pan having at least one perforation in an upper surface and an internal chamber communicating with the perforation, the perforation being open or uncovered by the dough at an onset of a first phase of a baking process, (II) depositing water in the internal chamber, (III) placing the dough, the pan, and the water in a heated enclosure, (IV) thereafter expanding the dough so that the dough covers the initially open or uncovered perforation by an end of the first phase of the baking process, (V) converting the water to steam in the internal chamber during the first phase of the baking process, (VI) applying steam from the internal chamber to a lower surface of the dough via the perforation after expanding of the dough to cover the perforation, and (VII) subjecting the dough to only baking during a second phase of the baking process, all of the water having been converted to steam by the end of the first phase of the baking process.
Preferably, the water is deposited in the internal chamber of the pan prior to placement of the pan in the heated enclosure or oven. However, it is also possible, depending on the pan design, to deposit the water in the internal chamber of the pan after placing the pan in the heated enclosure. In another alternative procedure, water is placed in an oven with at least part of the baking pan and, after the water and the pan part have been preheated, the dough with or without another pan part is placed in the oven on the baking pan.
In this further embodiment of the invention, where the perforation is one of a plurality of perforations in the upper surface of the pan, the dough may cover at least one of the perforations at the onset of the first phase of the baking process. This method step enables an application of steam to the lower surface of the dough substantially throughout the first phase of the baking process.
The dough preferably covers at least 60% of the perforations by the end of the first phase of the baking process. More preferably, the dough covers at least 80% of the perforations by the end of the first phase of the baking process. Most preferably, the dough covers 100% of the perforations by the end of the first phase of the baking process.
In an optional step of this further embodiment of the invention, a cover is disposed on the upper surface of the pan and over the dough and the perforation, thereby forming a cooking chamber communicating with the internal chamber via the perforation. A concomitantly performed step is increasing a moisture level in the cooking chamber by water vapor escaping from the internal chamber via the perforation prior to covering of the perforation by the expanding of the dough.
The lid may be removed from the oven together with the pan and the baked dough product thereon. Alternatively, the lid may be removed from the pan prior to a removing of the pan and the dough from the heated enclosure. The lid may be removed even before the end of the first phase of the baking process, that is, before the termination of steam production. The steam increases a moisture level in the heated enclosure by escaping from the internal chamber of the pan via the perforation prior to covering of the perforation by the expanding of the dough.
Lower lateral surfaces of the dough may be wetted by steam escaping from the internal chamber via the perforation.
A baking pan comprises, in accordance with the present invention, a lower pan part having a respective periphery and at least one raised area spaced from that periphery. The pan further comprises an upper pan part having a respective periphery, the upper pan being removably connected to the lower pan part about the periphery of the upper pan part. The raised area of the lower pan part is in effective heat-transmitting contact with the upper pan part. Effective heat contact means that there is an operative heat transfer from the lower pan part to the upper pan part by convection and/or conduction. Preferably, the raised area of the lower pan part is spaced from the upper pan part by a distance of less than approximately 5 mm. More preferably, the raised area of the lower pan part is spaced from the upper pan part by a distance of less than approximately 2.5 mm. Most preferably, the raised area of the lower pan part is spaced from the upper pan part by a distance of less than approximately 1 mm.
Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention, the lower pan part and the upper pan part are in effective heat transmitting contact with one another over an area which is at least 20% of the total area of the upper pan. More preferably, the lower pan part and the upper pan part are in effective heat transmitting contact with one another over an area which is at least 40% of the total area of the upper pan. Most preferably, the lower pan part and the upper pan part are in effective heat transmitting contact with one another over an area which is at least 70% of the total area of the upper pan. Generally, besides at the central, raised area of the lower pan, heat transmitting contact between the upper pan part and the lower pan part takes place along the periphery of the upper pan part. That periphery may coincide largely with the periphery of the lower pan part. Alternatively, the periphery of the upper pan part may be disposed along more centrally located raised areas of the lower pan part, for example, along an endless ridge or bead which extends around the lower pan part in spaced relation to the periphery of the lower pan part.
Pursuant to a supplemental aspect of the present invention, the raised area of the lower pan is provided with at least one opening, while the upper pan is provided with at least one opening substantially aligned with the opening in the raised area of the lower pan so as to permit air flow from a region below the lower pan part to a region above the upper pan part. This air flow path through the pan facilitates convection heating of a food article disposed on the upper pan part in an oven.
The lower pan part may be provided with a plurality of recesses, with the raised area of the lower pan part separating the recesses from one another. In that case, the upper pan part is provided with a first set of perforations communicating with one of the recesses and a second set of perforations communicating with another of the recesses. This configuration allows for differential steaming of different food articles placed on the upper pan part over the first set of perforations and the second set of perforations. For example, one of the food articles may be supplied with steam for a shorter period than one or more other food articles by having a smaller amount of water placed in the respective recess in the lower pan part.
The first set of perforations may be disposed in an array having a first configuration and the second set of perforations may be concomitantly disposed in an array having a second configuration geometrically different from the first configuration. Differing configurations of perforation arrays are advantageous where the respective food articles received atop the upper pan part have different shapes corresponding to or matching the differing configurations of perforation arrays.
A plurality of different lids or covers may be provided, with a first lid being disposed on the upper pan part so as to cover only the first set of perforations, and with a second lid being disposed on the upper pan part so as to cover only the second set of perforations. Thus, different moisture schedules may be applied to food articles of different types placed on the upper pan part.
According to another feature of the present invention, the upper pan part is formed of two separable portions, the first set of perforations being located in one of the pan portions, the second set of perforations being located in another of the portions. This enables a user to remove, from an oven, one of the pan portions with its respective food article(s) and optionally with a respective lid or cover prior to removal of other food articles.
As discussed hereinabove with reference to the method of the invention, the raised area of the lower pan part may be provided with at least one opening aligned with an opening in the upper pan part, thereby permitting air flow from a region below the lower pan part to a region above the upper pan part, thereby facilitating convection heating of a food article disposed on the upper pan part in an oven.
In a specific embodiment of the pan of the present invention, the lower pan part is elongate and provided with a multiplicity of transversely extending elongate ridges defining a multiplicity of elongate recesses. The upper pan part is formed with a depression overlying the recesses and is provided in the depression with a plurality of perforations. In this specific embodiment, the raised area of the lower pan part is a continuous or endless area extending around the ridges and the recesses. The raised area of the lower pan part is provided with openings aligned with respective openings in the upper pan part, so as to permit air flow substantially vertically through the pan from a region below the lower pan part to a region above the upper pan part, thereby facilitating convection heating of a food article disposed on the upper pan part in an oven. The upper pan part is optionally provided with a pair of peripheral regions on opposite sides of the perforated depression, where the depression is separated from the peripheral regions by raised areas to define recesses in the peripheral regions, whereby a food item may be placed on the depression and water may be deposited in the peripheral regions.
In another embodiment of a baking pan in accordance with the present invention, the lower pan part is provided with a plurality of raised areas spaced from one another throughout a common reservoir or water-receiving recess. These raised areas are like islands in a lake, when the reservoir or recess is filled with water. The islands may extend, for instance, in a linear array along a longitudinal axis of an elongate lower pan part.
In another embodiment of a baking pan in accordance with the present invention, one or both of the lower pan part and a cover are provided with embedded electrical heating wires. One or two heat resistant electrical connectors are mounted to the lower pan part and/or the cover for enabling operative coupling of the wiring networks with a source of electrical current. At least one temperature sensor may be provided on the cover or the lower pan part for automatically monitoring the temperature and providing temperature feedback for regulating the amount of electrical current supplied to the wiring networks.
A cooking method in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention utilizes a baking pan including a lower pan part and an upper pan part connected to one another, the upper pan part being provided with a first set of perforations in a first array and a second set of perforations in a second array, the second array being spaced from the first array, the lower pan part having a first recess communicating with the first set of perforations, the lower pan part also having a second recess communicating with the second set of perforations. In this method, a first amount of water is deposited in the first recess and a second amount of water is deposited in the second recess. A first food item is disposed on the upper pan part over at least some of the first set of perforations, while a second food item is disposed on the upper pan part over at least some of the second set of perforations. The baking pan, the first food item, the second food item, the first amount of water, and the second amount of water are all placed in a heated enclosure. Thereafter the first amount of water and the second amount of water are converted to steam. Steam from the first amount of water is applied to a lower surface of the first food item via the first set of perforations, whereas the steam from the second amount of water is applied to a lower surface of the second food item via the second set of perforations. One of the first food item and the second food item is removed from the heated enclosure after the conversion to steam of essentially all of the respective one of first amount of water and the second amount of water. Thereafter the other of the first food item and the second food item is subjected to only baking in the heated enclosure.
According to a modification of this method, a first lid is positioned on the upper pan part over the first food item and the first set of perforations to define a first chamber containing the first food item and communicating with the first recess via the first set of perforations. A second lid is positioned on the upper pan part over the second food item and the second set of perforations to define a second chamber containing the second food item and communicating with the second recess via the second set of perforations. The first lid and the second lid are placed in the heated enclosure together with the baking pan, the first food item, the second food item, the first amount of water, and the second amount of water. Upon elapse of a period of time after placement of the lids in the heated enclosure together with the baking pan, the food items, and the water, one of the lids is removed from the heated enclosure together with the respective food item.
In a further modification of this method, where the upper pan part is formed of two separable portions each incorporating a respective set of the perforations, the method further comprises removing one of the lids from the heated enclosure together with the respective food item.
In yet another modification of the this method of the invention, the one food item is subjected to only baking in the heated enclosure after the conversion to steam of essentially all of the respective amount of water and prior to removing the one food item from the heated enclosure.